Apr 22, 2009

There's a great neighborhood Italian restaurant near my house that makes these amazing mussels the called Cozze Al Verde. Unfortunately they are loaded with butter and oil and the points are probably off the charts. I was inspired to remake this dish into a skinnier version and I think I succeeded. The basil sauce was creamy and flavorful. Serve this with some crusty bread to soak up the juice. Live mussels can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days in an open bowl to allow them to breath with a wet cloth on top. Discard any mussels that are cracked or not alive.Mussels in Basil Cream SauceGina's Weight Watcher RecipesServings: 3 • Serving Size: 14 mussels • Old Points: 9 pts • Points+: 9 pts
Calories: 370.6 • Fat: 24.0 g • Protein: 20.6 g • Carb: 11.7 g • Fiber: 0.4 g • Sugar: 2.1 g Sodium: 973.1 mg

Ingredients:

2 tsp butter

1 shallots, minced

1 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped PLUS

2 cloves garlic set aside

2 lbs live mussels

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup fat free half and half

1/2 cup fresh basil

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup parmesan

salt and fresh pepper

Ingredients:

Scrub and de-beard mussels in cold water. Discard any cracked or unopened shells.
In a large pot melt butter. Add shallots and 1 clove chopped garlic and sauté about 3 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil. Add mussels and cover until mussels open, about 4 to 6 minutes. When mussels are cooked, scoop them out with a slotted spoon. Discard any mussels that didn't open.

Add 1/4 cup of ff half and half to the wine and simmer about 4 minutes.

In a blender, puree basil, parmesan cheese, olive oil, remaining half & half and garlic. Add to cream, season with salt and pepper and simmer another few minutes. Pore over mussels.

I will try this recipe but, for the looks of it, it sounds like you did a fantastic job at cutting down the point-count of the Cozze al Verde! I think the original oil-and-butter-rich version is delicious, but your version looks way more reasonable! hahaha plus, with it being lighter, I can probably have more, right?! Thanks!

You surprised me again! Very nice combination of Basil with mussels, I never have tried this combination before but without having eaten it, I'm sure it's a great and powerful combination. Mmmmmm...I'll try this recipe very soon! Can't wait!

I noticed this recipe hadn't been updated with the Points+ number as a lot of your others have, just the old WW number. I just wanted to let you all know I entered it in the recipe builder and it comes out to 12 points each for 3 servings under the new system (still great for how yummy it is!)

I use to make a similar version but far too high in fat etc and have been looking for a skinnier version. I'm having freinds in for dinner this weekend and I know they love mussels as I do, but my hubby only likes shrimp. I think I will make this but throw in a few shrimp for him. Based on the portion size I can actually serve this as a small appetizer before dinner

theres a very easy recipe that mum does with mussels: doesnt call for butter, only a little oil with garlic, once the garlic's a little brown, take it out of the pan and just throw it out, then add the mussels and once cooked you add parsley. Im originally from Italy and we dont use wine with mussels: wine is only used if the mussels are not fresh so that it covers up the smell.